Friday, September 30 at 3:15 pm:
Melissa McCormick
Professor of Japanese Art and Culture, Harvard University
"A National Treasure: Japan’s Twelfth-century Genji Scrolls"
Minor 125
Co-Sponsored by The Art Department

Often called the world’s first psychological novel, The Tale of Genji, written by Murasaki Shikibu occupies a well-earned spot among the most important works of world literature. Less known outside of Japan, however, is the rich tradition of Genji illustrations that have been continuously produced for a millennium. This talk will provide a general introduction to the pictorial history of Japan’s most celebrated narrative and a close look at the twelfth-century scrolls, the oldest extant example of Genji paintings. The scrolls elicit modes of reading and viewing that differ radically from our own and reveal new insights into how the tale was interpreted in its own day.